``This is only the first pass. We`ll be taking another shot at this,`` Town Administrator Irv Rosenbaum said. ``There will be cuts made across the board in every category.``

Most of the jobs to be eliminated are vacant, he said.

The working draft of the budget calls for decreasing the town`s spending from $41.2 million in the current fiscal year to $36.3 million in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

The draft anticipates that the town will keep its Fire Department, and not merge with the Broward County Fire Department. On Oct. 7, the Town Council gave Rosenbaum permission to talk to county officials about contracting for fire services. Rosenbaum said the town would save about $3.5 million if it turned over the Fire Department.

The draft budget also calls for cutting $135,000 from the Police Department`s personnel expenses. Rosenbaum said plans are being made to have officers who perform clerical jobs to return to the road and be replaced by non-officer clerks.

Under the draft budget, property taxes in the operating budget would climb from $4.31 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $5.56 per $1,000. An additional 74 cents per $1,000 will continue to be levied to pay for the town`s debts for parks, recreation and open space, meaning that the total tax rate would go from $5.05 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $6.30 per $1,000. That would mean an owner of a $99,983 home in Davie would pay $472.39 after a $25,000 homestead exemption. This year, the same homeowner pays $378.66.

At a town budget meeting on Aug. 29, Rosenbaum plans to present a revised budget incorporating further changes to reduce spending and lower the proposed tax increase.

``There may be some layoffs,`` he said. ``I`m not going to recommend a 29 percent (operating) tax increase.``

Rosenbaum said some town services may be consolidated and some workers, including high-level managers, may have to take pay cuts. He may also propose reducing some workers by one rank in departments.

``You`ll see further cuts,`` he said. ``How deep will be decided by Thursday.``